Overdose was still the leading cause of death this year among people who were homeless in the Denver metro area, but the number of overdose deaths decreased for the first time in six years, according to an annual report based on research from the medical examiner.
Homicides also decreased, but suicides among the homeless population doubled, according to the report from the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless.
At least 294 people who were homeless died from Nov. 1, 2023, through Oct. 31, according to a count by the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative, which coordinates services in the metro area. That’s down slightly from 311 the prior year.
The medical examiner’s office was able to determine the cause of death for 216 people who died in Denver. Among those, 68% died from overdose — and most of those overdoses, 75% of them, were due to fentanyl. That’s 115 deaths attributed to fentanyl out of 153 overdose deaths.
Overdose deaths had increased by 18% in 2023, but plateaued this year, dropping 0.6%. It was the first year since 2017 that overdose deaths did not rise.
The homicide rate among people who are homelesshas declined the past two years — down 4.4% this year and 5.4% last year. Deaths by suicide, meanwhile, accounted for almost 5% of all deaths this year, compared with about 2% last year.
Risk factors for suicide, including mental illness, drug and alcohol use, and isolation, are associated with homelessness.
The Coalition for the Homeless plans to remember those who died at an annual vigil Saturday, which is the longest night of the year. It’s the 35th annual event in which people who work to provide shelter, food and health care to the homeless throughout the year gather at the steps of the Denver City and County Building, surrounded by luminaries, to read the names of those who died. The public is invited to attend and encouraged to bring donations of new adult coats, socks and gloves.
“It is important to honor individuals and report on their deaths in the greatest detail possible because this may be the only acknowledgement some receive,” the coalition wrote in its report.
The average age of death for a person who was homeless this year in Denver was 46. That’s below the 2022 average of 50.5 and far below the average U.S. life expectancy of 77.5.
For those who went from homelessness to housing in one of the coalition’s apartment buildings, the average age of death jumped 13 years, to age 59. Housing also had a profound effect on the overall death rate and the number of people who died by overdose. Among those who died while living in coalition housing, 17.2% died of overdose, compared with 68% of those who were homeless.
Overdose deaths among people who are homeless across the nation have slowed in recent years. After rising steadily for two decades, overdose deaths decreased 17% nationally from July 2023 to July 2024. Still, this equates to about 100,000 overdose deaths this year.
“These losses are catastrophic, unacceptable and largely preventable,” the coalition wrote.
The nonprofit advocated for expanded access to treatment, including more syringe exchange programs. The coalition supports a Denver City Council proposal that would loosen restrictions on the number of needle exchange sites, which is currently capped at three, and a requirement that they are at least 1,000 feet from schools or day care centers. The sites provide naloxone, which can revive people who have overdosed, as well as test strips to check drugs for fentanyl.
The coalition provides medication assisted treatment for opioid addiction in Denver and runs a treatment program at Fort Lyon, a former Army fort outside of Las Animas in southeastern Colorado. The coalition added 215 apartments this year, and converted a nine-story hotel and convention center in Globeville into a supportive housing residence called Renewal Village.